Prior to becoming a member of the British Royal Family, the
current Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle followed various career paths in her
life, including activism, acting and blogging. But her most recognisable career
choice, by far, for thousands around the world, has been playing the role of
lawyer Rachel Zane in US television series Suits.

Markle’s introduction into the UK Royal Family, an institution largely considered to be following curt protocols passed down generations and bearing limited involvement in matters of public affair and governance, brought significant change.

For one, it saw an air of activity arise, be it through
her using the platform to aid the charities she cared about, or being able to bring
the Royal Family into the public sphere a little more.

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Born as Rachel Meghan Markle on August 4, 1981 in a
neighbourhood reportedly termed as Black Hollywood in Los Angeles, California,
the long road to understanding and fighting for social causes began early for Markle,
who, at the young age of 11 as per a BBC report, wrote a letter to the-then US
First Lady Hillary Clinton.

The letter pointed towards a questionably angled advertisement
of a washing liquid which stated women across the US were “fighting greasy pots
and pans”, leading to the changing of said advertisement within a short time.

Markle graduated from Northwestern University’s School of
Communication in 2003.

Beginning at that point, the career path for the now-estranged
Royal took a turn while working at the US Embassy in Argentina, and later on once more, when her career as an actor took off.

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Her first appearance on television came through an episode
of General Hospital, a musical drama, in 2002 before moving onto various more
projects such as CSI, Without a Trace and Castle.

Her wedding with Prince Harry in 2018 originated through a
blind date between the two, with Prince Harry being quoted by the BBC as saying
that he was “beautifully surprised” by the meeting.

A plan of eventual estrangement from the Royal Family came
through when Markle and Prince Harry’s son Archie was born, and no updates or
announcements were given out for the press or the public, despite their son
being the first multiracial child being born in the Royal Family, getting huge
public interest from the world over.

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The final breakaway of the two, perhaps the biggest
influence of Markle in the life of the couple and the Royal Family at large,
came through at the beginning of 2021, as they announced their plans to step
back as senior royals and become financially independent.

Markle and Prince Harry, with their son, currently live in Santa Barbara, California in the United States.